I can blame other drivers all I want. I have seen the reports that our safety director gets. I have seen what they do to our safety record. I have seen first hand how my personal inspections from the DOT have gone up and down with our safety record.
It has kept me on my toes to make sure the equipment I run is in top working order. The boss thinks I am picky but I don't want DOT questioning anything on the truck and trailer that I run.
Especially with the weights that we run. We load bulk product (potatoes) off of bin pilers with no scales or way of exactally knowing how the weight is distributed in our trailer. We follow a line in the trailer and hope that we don't get "over axle" in the front or the back. We don't have sliding axles to help either.
We get paid by the hundred weight or by the "Bag" which is equal to 100 lbs. I have been under gross yet still over axle on either the front or back.
So I don't like having to be DOTed. Not to mention that it adds time to my log book which is usually pushed close to the limit in the first place.
That remind me, I only have 12 hours left before my 70 is up and I have a long run today. So it is going to be pedal to the floor all day long.
So that extra 15 to 30 minutes is a huge deal to me.
Dot warning tickets.
Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by magnum force, May 20, 2011.
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OP yes they are on your PSP and if it is your truck your SMS.
If those two acronyms do not ring a bell........
http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/basics.aspx
Probably, in my opinion, a far better idea to get actual facts about the program instead of CB crying about the tragic unfairness of it -
That's why we started taking $.02 a mile for bad inspection's and giving it back a $.1/2 for clean ones
To those that are math challenged they have to go and get 4 good inspections for every bad one they get to not take a pay cut -
Trucking is a BUSINESS, you or your company must decide the economics of your equipment, purchase trailers that axles can slide or weightronix type axle weight monitors, or keep taking chances and pay for those consequences. But the problem is NOT what the law is.
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My argument with CSA is twofold - with the process, and the relevance or lack thereof to the real world.
First the process, or in this case the lack of it. Even in the case of a state motor vehicle department you get a hearing on the suspension of your license, the right to representation and appeal to a court of law. The entire CSA process is a kangaroo court from start to finish. In many cases the state DOT inspectors do not understand enough of the FMCSRs (especially in the case of log violations) to adequately do their job. When a "warning" carries the same weight as a "ticket" without the right of appeal that can lead to the loss of your commerical driving privilege - something is wrong.
Second, it is becoming glaringly apparent that the "weight" ascribed by the FMCSA to the various BASICs have little to do with furthering safety in the industry, or any relationship to the causality of real-world accidents. Scroll through the carrier ratings some time - some of the worst carriers in terms of DOT reportable accident rates have BASIC scores so low that you'd expect them to be nearly a perfect company. How does CSA then further safety? It seems to me that this is an overly complex numbers game meant to provide political cover for some highly paid beaurecrats, rather than a meaningful program.
If it does get some bad players out of the industry, that's fine. But it needs to be relevant to the issue of safety, and protect the rights of the citizens from the capricious nature of beaurecratic fiat.d o g, Wiseguywireless, oldedge and 4 others Thank this. -
You would be surprised how many show up with all 5 in their hand. Now we do not count all things like that.
We have categories (in house) like driver fitness, HOS compliance, and unsafe operation. Violations in these categories are counted.
We handle equipment violations in house with a system similar to yours. That lets us account for a random light or tire problem but address anyone consistently receiving those infractions. -
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This CSA goes both ways, you just watch.
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